A Not So Disappointing Date
by rdwest
Summary: Senritsu sees Kurapika for the second time after finding the Sonata of Darkness and restoring her body to its old form. They have a slightly awkward second date. One Shot. AU-ish?


**Disclaimer:** Hunter x Hunter still ain't mine.

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 **AN** : This is sort of the second part to a one shot I wrote called "A Disappointing Date." I thought about making it another chapter, but decided not to lol. Anyway, a TL;DR of the previous story is that Senritsu gets her old body back and has an awkward "bad" date with Kurapika, then he invites her for another date. So this is the story of their second date, just as awkward.

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 **A Not So Disappointing Date**

It was the feel of hot water on her body that Senritsu missed the most. Not that her disfigured body had lacked sensations entirely, but it wasn't the same as her old body. Her real body.

But as she climbed out of the hotel's shower and stood in front of the sink's foggy mirror, a stranger stared back at her. _Sure,_ the woman was one Senritsu recognized, one she was familiar with even, but it felt like it'd been so long since she'd really seen her.

 _Ah well. This old body of mine got me a date._

She was not sure when her affections for Kurapika went from enjoying his friendship to yearning for something more, and she wasn't sure if his offer for a second meeting was just his way of making things up to her, or if he had any real feelings for her.

 _The former most likely._ Kurapika didn't strike her as the type to get caught up in his feelings, even if he had them. But whatever his feelings, she would go to their  
"date" with low expectations to avoid disappointment. After all, Kurapika was her friend first.

Grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her body, she ambled over to her suitcase laying on the bed. Picking out an outfit was once something she didn't give much thought to, but now with her old body, _or new body I suppose,_ she found herself dreading the task. When Senritsu had been plainly hideous, it hardly mattered what covered her up so long as she concealed herself. She had been very invisible then, often mistaken for a man. But now she looked like a woman. A very plain woman, but a woman nonetheless.

She thought about what Kurapika might wear. _A suit?_ Or would he wear something less formal not wanting to appear as trying to hard?

But _Kurapika doesn't care about that._ If he dressed in a suit, it would not be to impress or, or not to impress her. It would be because he wanted to wear a suit, or he lacked other clothes and had no choice.

She decided to go for casual. Dark colored jeans, a brightly colored, long-sleeved blouse that matched her skin tone, and some flats. _Nothing special,_ but she wanted to give the impression of putting some thought into her outfit even if it was just a little bit.

Next came her hair, which was dull, limp, and brown mostly from lack of care over the years. _I'll put it in a ponytail._

Satisfied with her appearance, she tucked her flute under her jacket, made her way down the stairs of the hotel, and hailed a taxi once outside. It was 6:15 pm; their date was at 7:00 pm. Kurapika might be prompt, or if he were busy a little late. And already she was thinking too hard about this and would screw up in some form. Say something silly or dumb.

A taxi pulled in front of her. She climbed inside and directed the driver to the address. Then she leaned back.

 _Should I have asked if this was a formal or casual restaurant?_

Probably.

Little too late now, but at least her dark jeans could pass as black trousers from a distance and her blouse was new and clean.

 _But what if I'm underdressed? What if Kurapika shows up in a suit and tie?_ She'd be an embarrassment to him, no doubt. But if she were overdressed, it'd be almost as embarrassing. _What if he's in jeans and a tee shirt?_

Before she knew it, the black taxi pulled in front of the restaurant and she could no longer dwell on what-ifs. It was named something French that she couldn't pronounce even after looking it up, but it looked fairly unintimidating sitting downtown, nestled between local coffee shops. And it was likely Kurapika had picked it because it had 4.7 stars out of 5, out of one-hundred and seventeen reviews, and not to impress her _or anything._

She paid her fare and headed inside. _6:57._ Three minutes early.

Despite it being a weekend, the restaurant was fairly empty and oddly quiet. Silverware clinked around her, and light chatter filled the air. _Should we have made reservations?_

"Miss? Hello?" The hostess asked, smiling. "How many?"

"Two."

She looked down at the stand in front of her. "Are you here for anyone?"

"Yes, a blonde-uh his name's Kurapika."

"Yes. I'll walk you to him."

Senritsu hurried after the young woman, glancing at everyone around her. There were a few little black dresses, a lot of not so black dresses and skirts, some suits too, and she wished she'd at least shaved and worn something that wasn't pants.

Kurapika was seated at a table off by a window, looking distractedly at nothing in particular. His face was relaxed and one of his hands hung lazily off the table's shiny edge. He looked close to sleep _actually,_ but then he spotted her and gave her a wave.

She sat across from him, smiling. His heart beat steady and even. _No heart flutters for him, I guess. Ah well._ She was glad his hearing wasn't as good as hers.

"Someone will be with your shortly," the hostess said, walking away. As if on cue, a waiter appeared and asked what they wanted to drink. Senritsu got water, so did Kurapika. And the waiter left.

"So how's life as a criminal?" Senritsu asked.

"Don't say that too loudly," Kurapika replied, his gazing drifting across the room. "It's not much different from when I was just working under Light."

"Well, he is kind of a criminal." She gave a shrug.

He nodded. His eyes finally landed on her. "So how've you been? Aside from…playing video games."

She chuckled. "Alright I suppose. It's nice to have my old body back," she said. Her throat felt dry and she cleared it once. Twice. _Now would be a great time to for the waiter to appear with my water._

"I'm sure," he replied. "You look nice though. Your outfit, I mean."

"You do too." She smiled. "Got a thing for suits now?"

"Don't really have a choice anymore. Comes with my line of work."

"It suits you. No pun intended."

The waiter appeared with their waters, ready to take their order and effectively saving her from further embarrassing herself with lame puns. Senritsu had yet to glance at the menu, and since she couldn't bring herself to look at Kurapika's face either, her neck heating with embarrassment, now seemed like a good time.

"Can we have a moment before ordering?" Kurapika asked.

The waiter flitted off and she was again left alone with her blonde companion.

Either to save her from further embarrassing herself, or to spare her from it, Kurapika started talking about what he was doing, while his slender fingers leafed through the menu. Mostly, he was still looking for the Scarlet Eyes and, from the sounds of it, avoiding Leorio & Friends.

For her part, she listened attentively, nodding at the right places and laughing or smiling where it seemed appropriate, which was almost nil. Kurapika could have been reading from a grocery list with the amount of enthusiasm he spoke with. Not that it mattered. He could have been reading off a grocery list for all she cared and she still would be just as interested. _Does that make me desperate?_ But then she had no real chance with him anyway, desperation or not; he was likely only here with her because he was nice, or felt bad for his earlier reaction about hew new body.

Their conversation turned towards herself. She knew he wanted to ask about how she found the Sonata, and she did want to tell him, _I really do_. But he wouldn't like the story. He'd think her reckless, or stupid. Both of which were reasonable accusations given what she'd done to obtain it. And she just wanted to enjoy a nice, quiet dinner with him, free of any judgement.

"There's no proper way of phrasing this, so I'm just gonna say it," Kurapika said.

 _Here it goes._ She smirked. "Of phrasing what?"

"Getting your body back. I mean, what was it like?" He leaned across the table towards her.

 _Oh._ "Well...sort of like when I lost it the first time around. My arm is still disfigured. I guess it's a permanent punishment for my stupidity." Her smile faded and she shrugged.

His eyes drifted to her long-sleeves. "It didn't heal?"

"Don't act so surprised," she said."I guess it was wishful thinking that I would get away without any consequences, but my arm is still as hideous as ever."

He nodded. Having already seen it, she wondered if he was disappointed that she wasn't perfect, would never be. But again she was thinking too hard about everything. The waiter came by and took their orders, but even after their food came, she didn't eat much. In some ways, she realized she was trying to impress someone with the wrong methods. Kurapika was naturally sort of quiet, so talking his ear off about mundane things wasn't the best way to his heart. _There's probably no way to his heart in fact,_ Kurapika had never seemed to possess any interest in emotions like love or happiness, which she could not exactly blame him for. And Senritsu possessed nothing that would likely hold his interest even if she could catch his feelings. Their conversation, while pleasant, was woefully devoid of any depth. She could not boast in possessing extraordinary looks or intelligence. At most, she made a decent partner in crime because she could calm him when he became irrational. But he was getting better at containing his own impulsive outbursts, so even that was becoming a moot point.

Dinner came to an end sooner and slower than she would have liked. Kurapika footed the bill, probably out of some outdated notions of chivalry he possessed. He walked her out too, and held open the door to the restaurant for her.

"Did you take a taxi here?" He asked as they stepped onto the sidewalk.

"I sure did. Did you?"

"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For meeting me. I'm sure you're busy."

"Rich coming from someone who's been ignoring his phone for the last few months." She shook her head.

He grinned slightly. "How far away are you staying?"

"Not far. I'm at a hotel while I try and figure out some way to convince Light Nostrad I actually am the same Senritsu he hired," she said.

"Guess you should've pawned the Sonata instead of getting rid of it," he replied. "Then you wouldn't need a job."

"Guess so." She gave a tiny shrug, trying not to stare at him for too long. But it was all she wanted to do in fact. Stare at him. She was standing so close to him, she could envision them as a real couple. Holding hands, kissing, or even just hugging. Maybe she could get away with a side hug. "It was nice seeing you."

He nodded.

She took a step towards him, then tripped, and bumped into him. _There goes that idea. "_ Sorry!"

"No problem. I'll see you around?"

"Sure," she said, cursing every god she could think of as she turned and hailed a taxi. If she were a different type of girl, she'd just go for it. Grab him by his white collar and kiss him. But she was a sensible person above all, and that was a really dumb thing to do.

"Hey Senritsu?"

"Hm?" She turned towards him. His heart beat loudly, thundering almost in her ears. _Yikes, how did I not notice before?_

"I'm...not good with this sort of stuff, so apologies in advanced. I had a nice time. I'd like to do it again, sometime," he said. His heartbeat was jittery. And she could imagine the same butterflies camped in her stomach were attacking his.

Her eyebrows went up. "Is the great Kurapika asking me out on an actual date?"

He smirked. "Depends on your answer."

"Yes. Of course. I had a great time too." She walked a little closer to him. "I'll be in town for a little bit, but...I can meet you somewhere? I know you're looking for the Scarlet Eyes and I'd be happy to help."

"Okay."

"Okay." Her smile widened, in fact her face was hurting. _Is this a dream?_ She thought of pinching herself _but that'd just look silly._ "Okay. I'll call you when I'm done here?"

"Okay." He smiled down at her. There probably would be no kiss, _maybe later._ For now, she felt content even if she was only dreaming. Even if she woke up and found herself deformed and disfigured once tomorrow morning, she'd feel happy just thinking on this moment.

"Oh and Kurapika?" She said.

"Hm?"

"Pick up your phone."


End file.
